Club Aphrodite
by Luna Darkside
Summary: Even with a glamorous life as the renowned Club Aphrodite's number one host and a night job as the Kaitou Kid, Kuroba Kaito is less than satisfied. But after a typical meeting with a typical client, Kaito suddenly finds himself playing more than just host to a mysterious man. /Shinichi x host!Kaito, complete/
1. Prologue

**Pairings: **[eventual - none in this chapter] Shinichi x Kaito, slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Shinichi x Ran

**Warnings: **host!Kaito and [eventual] shounen-ai (no duh)

**[Cultural] notes: **_In Japan, hosts usually have professional names that they use during work. For Kaito, I picked "Lupin" for fairly obvious reasons. Oh, and the kanji for Ran's name means orchid, if you didn't already know._

**Notes: **_This plotline was inspired by a yaoi manga I read a while ago, but if you can tell which one it is, I have failed as a writer T_T. I'll continue this if I get enough good feedback, k? Hope you enjoy, darlings! - Luna_

**Club Aphrodite**

_- Prologue -_

After nearly a year of his job working at the illustrious Club Aphrodite, Kuroba Kaito had separated his clients into four different categories: Girls who had just had their hearts broken and wanted a stranger's company, girls who had too much time on their hands and were bored, girls who liked the attention of an attractive male, and girls who sincerely were in love with their host.

The girl – a new one he'd never met before – in front of him was most likely a category one, Kaito mused as he observed the pretty though unfamiliar face. She had a fair complexion smoothed gently over a heart-shaped face and down a slender neck, disappearing into the scalloped neckline of her shirt. Her eyes, half-hidden behind chestnut bangs, were colored a marvelous shade of cerulean, though the striking effect was rather marred by the puffiness around her eyelids. She sat across from him, on the other side of the polished table, eyes focused on her remarkably pretty hands, which were twisting around uncomfortably in her lap.

"Ojou-san," Kaito addressed her, leaning forward slightly, and she looked up, wearing a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

He let out a small laugh. "Welcome to Club Aphrodite, ojou-san. I'm Lupin."

The girl blinked for a second. "Ah… R-Ran."

"Really?" Appearing to think for a second, Kaito held up a closed fist. Before Ran could ask what he was doing, a bright purple orchid sprung out of his grip. Grinning, he extended it to Ran, who couldn't hold back the small smile that blossomed across her face as she took the flower from him.

Relaxing, Kaito leaned back. _Good. It looks like she's loosened up._ "So, Ran-san, why did you pick me out of all the hosts?" He glanced around the host club, doing a quick survey of his fellow hosts. It appeared Hakuba had already been picked up by his category four client Nakamori Aoko, and it looked like the same had happened to Hattori, only with a girl named Toyama Kazuha. Eisuke and Makoto were still waiting.

"Well…" Jumping in slight surprise, Kaito turned back to Ran, whose gaze was back in her lap. "It's because you remind me of… him."

"Huh? Who, Ran-san?" Kaito asked, leaning forward.

Ran's fingers were back to squirming in her lap, now twirling around the stem of Kaito's orchid in a nervous dance. "My… the person I like."

"Oh. I see." _Definitely category one, _Kaito decided. "I have to admit that I'm honestly quite saddened to share any type of similarity with someone who can't see your beauty, Ran-san. He's probably quite a terrible person, huh?"

"He's not!" Ran unexpectedly shouted, startling Kaito and probably the rest of the club. From across the room, Hakuba stopped entertaining Aoko to send Kaito a look that said, _So you can't keep your own clients happy, huh, Kuroba-kun?_

Returning it with a murderous glare, Kaito refocused his attention on the blushing girl across from him. "I'm sorry, Ran-san," he apologized softly.

"That's okay," she quickly replied, raising her gaze for a millisecond. "It's just… I can't think of him as a bad person for not loving me back, you know? In my eyes, he's still so… Even though I _know _he doesn't see me the same way… I can't seem to make myself..."

Appearing to be having some trouble finding the words, Ran corkscrewed a hand through the perfumed air, trying to pluck the words out of it, before finally giving up. She let out a shattered breath. "It really hurts, don't you think? Unrequited love."

Smiling gently, Kaito answered, "It does." _Not that I've ever experienced it firsthand, though._

A halved smirk fell from Ran's lips, accompanied by a mirthless little laugh. "I'm sure you've never experienced it, huh, Lupin-kun? With looks like yours…"

"You got me." Kaito laughed. "But I've heard enough about it to know that it's painful. And looks don't matter in love, right?" He sent her a reassuring smile.

For a moment, Ran looked transfixed, before she smiled back. "That's right, I guess."

"What's important is that you don't give up, Ran-san," Kaito continued. "I think it's just a matter of showing how much you care until he understands. And if he still can't return your feelings, you just have to move on to someone else. I'm not saying to settle for someone else – I just mean you should let yourself let him go and fall for someone else." Punctuating the last sentence with a grin, he moved forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "Understand?"

Ran, whose trouble expression had faded while listening to Kaito, beamed, looking considerably less brokenhearted. "Yes, I do. Thank you so much, Lupin-kun. I won't give up."

"Good girl." Retracting his hand, Kaito watched as she rose to her feet, wove around tables, and finally made it out the front door, though not before turning to wave at him.

Kaito only had time to take a long breath before his next client dropped down across from him, already chattering about her day.

* * *

"Good work, Kai-chan."

Standing before his open locker in the hosts' dressing room, Kaito peered over his shoulder to see the host's owner, former actress Kudou Yukiko, propped up in the doorway.

"Oh! Yuki-neechan," he exclaimed, shutting his locker as he shrugged on his jacket. It was quite unusual for the owner to stop in on her club, considering that most of the time she and her illustrious mystery writer husband were flying around in foreign airspace. "I didn't know you were around."

Yukiko waved a manicured hand dismissively. "Well, Yusaku insisted that I come to check up on all my darling boys. It's been at least a month since the last time I did, right?" She winked. "I'm taking out Saguru-kun and the others for dinner. Want to come, Kai-chan?"

"No, I've got something to do tonight," Kaito explained as he slung his overstuffed backpack over one shoulder.

"Night job, Kai-chan?" Yukiko wondered, wearing a dangerously sly expression.

"Not really. But thanks for offering, Yuki-neechan. It's great to see you again." Passing her and giving her a fleeting kiss on the cheek, Kaito walked down the hall and exited through the back door.

The night air was freezing, and Kaito began to increase his pace as he hurried out of the alley. It didn't look like he had time to go home, and he was incredibly glad that he had brought his Kid attire and a spare security guard uniform with him to work that day.

* * *

Kaito hit the light switch, stumbling into his apartment as the lights turned on. He collapsed at his kitchen table, blinking exhausted eyes. He remained at the table, face pressed against its surface for a good ten minutes.

With a small groan, he got up to deposit his bag into his closet. Peeling off his oversized coat to reveal the starched white jacket of his Kid suit, he draped the coat up on the coatrack and staggered into the bedroom. He watched in the mirror as he loosened his tie, examining the unfamiliar downward tilt of his eyelashes and the glassy indigo of his irises. Was it just him, or was his skin a few shades paler than usual?

Finally pulling off his tie, Kaito tugged off a glove, gently rubbing back his slightly overgrown bangs afterwards. Loosening a sigh against clenched teeth, he removed the rest of his Kid apparel, hanging them up carefully in the artfully concealed closet he'd installed when he had first moved in.

Kaito fell onto his bed, eyes fluttering shut against his pillow. He bit back yet another sigh, frowning. Was it just him, or did he feel… hollow?

Admittedly, the feeling had been plaguing him for weeks. Constantly adjusting to suit his clients' desires was tiring enough, but the addition of heists afterward had increased his fatigue tenfold. He was drained.

But that wasn't really it. When Hakuba had mentioned working at Club Aphrodite, Kaito had considered it a joke and had applied for a job there only as a way to spite him. But too soon, it became a serious employment, an occupation he cared about more than just a source of income.

And while Kaito loved to make others happy and felt intense pride and happiness every time he managed to make a client smile, he could never shake the feeling that he was losing himself trying to obtain that smile.

* * *

**Okay, okay. I know this isn't all that intriguing at the moment, but keep in mind that this is only the prologue. Yes, I am aware that Shinichi has yet to appear, and yes, I am aware that it doesn't make sense for Shinichi to not know Kaito if Yukiko owns Club Aphrodite, and yes, I am aware that Club Aphrodite is a terrible name for a host club. But all will be explained in due time, my darlings. All will be explained.**

**Or... you should just suspend belief while reading this. That would work even better than me trying to explain.**

**Well, if I get enough positive feedback to make me want to continue. Since I've got a lot of other stories currently in progress, I'm only going to continue this if it's popular enough. Otherwise, I'll just continue updating Semantics, Shuffle Romance, and possibly Gem of a Person, k?**

**- Luna**


	2. Apollo

**Pairings: **[eventual – hey, we meet Shinichi in this chapter!] Shinichi x Kaito, slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Shinichi x Ran

**Warnings: **host!Kaito, plot holes, potential grammar errors, OOC-ness, and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)

**A special note to Vacant Balcony-san (or anyone who doesn't know what hosts do): **Ah! I didn't realize that knowledge on hosts isn't all that common. Sorry about that.

Basically, hosts are typically men who are paid to entertain (mostly by giving attention and flirting with) girls who attend host clubs.

Generally, host-client relationships do not involve sex, although it's definitely possible. If a client pays enough and the host likes the client, they might have "sexual relations" as you put it.

For more information, you can look at the Wikipedia entry on it (titled "Host and hostess clubs" )or watch the anime/read the manga Ouran High School Host Club. That's where I learned about the existence of hosts, heh.

**Notes: **Look! Fast update!

So the prologue got a bit more of a response than I was expecting. Huh. So I guess I'll continue it until the responses die down…?

**Club Aphrodite**

Apollo

_- god of light, knowledge, enlightenment, and manly beauty -_

* * *

As he pushed the backdoor of Club Aphrodite open, Kaito checked his watch an extra time. It was three forty-five, meaning he had fifteen minutes until the club opened. _Well, that should be enough time to change, _he thought pointlessly to himself.

Strolling down the hallway until he reached the hosts' dressing room, he opened the door to find Hakuba Saguru in the middle of stripping.

"Oh. Hi," Kaito greeted unenthusiastically as he marched past the shirtless man.

"Good afternoon, Kuroba-kun," replied Hakuba, who sounded about half as ecstatic as Kaito.

There was a silence studded with the sounds of Kaito opening his locker. Retrieving his black button-up and tugging his t-shirt over his head, he was startled when Hakuba suddenly remarked, "Hey, you missed out last night, you know."

"Did I," replied Kaito, doing up the buttons on his shirt.

"Hondou-kun overturned an entire table. And then he proceeded to knock over a refrigerator," Hakuba informed as he shut his locker and turned to watch Kaito.

"Sounds great. How much were the damage fees?" Kaito glared at his reflection in the mirror attached to his locker door. His eyelashes were even more lifeless than they had been the night earlier, and he was regretting not getting a haircut that morning.

"Luckily we went to one of Yuki-san's friend's restaurants, so there weren't any. I don't think Yuki-san's friend is going to invite us back anytime, though." Hakuba leaned against his closed locker, arms folded across the front of his own shirt.

"Wow, that's so very interesting. Why are you talking to me, Hakuba?" asked Kaito, not bothering to hide the derision in his voice. He was starting to feel slightly unwell, if the dryness in his mouth and the slight pounding of his head were any indication.

Blowing out a breath, Hakuba stole a moment to stare at the floor awkwardly before answering, "Well, we're all worried about you."

Kaito took a second to process the information, an eyebrow creeping upward. "Why? And who's 'we,' anyway?"

"You know. Hattori-kun, Hondou-kun, Kyogoku-kun, Yuki-san… and me," Hakuba answered, glaring as Kaito smirked weakly at the tacked-on, begrudging admittance that Hakuba was worried about him. "And we're worried because we care about you, you idiot. Lately, you're been looking worn thin all the time. Have you even been eating normally?"

"Yes, I have been eating. And I'm fine, Hakuba. You don't need to worry about me," Kaito protested, rolling his eyes.

Eyeing him, Hakuba argued, "You seem different, Kuroba-kun, and not in a good way. You're not like how you were in high school."

"Would you prefer I start dyeing your hair again? I could," Kaito countered.

There was a lull in the conversation, during which Kaito closed his locker and Hakuba looked uneasy.

"Is this because of Nakamori-san?" he abruptly asked.

Surprised at the seemingly random question, Kaito blinked. "Huh? What does Aoko have to do with this?"

"Well, you two were friends for a long time, and you did date for a year before she started being my client," Hakuba explained. "I just thought… maybe, you know…"

"What? That I'm depressed over losing Aoko to you? Trust me, Hakuba, that's not it. We were only ever friends just playing around," Kaito scoffed as his headache increased. He glanced down at his watch. "Look, it's four and we need to get out there, okay? You don't have to worry about me."

Hakuba was regarding him rather impassively, and Kaito felt a slight pang of irritation. "Can we just drop it? I'm completely fine." He pushed past the unmoving blond and into the bar area, where Makoto appeared to be doing a last minute cleaning of the tables and Hattori and Eisuke were waiting for customers. Kaito joined them, avoiding eye contact.

Within minutes, one of Eisuke's regulars arrived, as did Kazuha. Kaito watched with slight amusement as Heiji was dragged off, protesting. _They really are an oblivioius couple. _

It wasn't long before an unfamiliar short-haired blonde girl took Makoto, and Kaito was left waiting by the door.

_Really… _He sighed, staring down at his shoes. Was it just him, or was his vision getting blurry?

He jerked his attention back to the door as it opened. "Welcome to Club Aphrodite, ojou-sa…" Kaito began, but he trailed off upon seeing the newcomer.

It was a man. A very… _attractive_ man with a tall, slim build shrouded in a casual suit. He had dark brown hair, styled neatly yet still decorated with untamed cowlicks, and bangs that draped across his forehead, framing a pair of startling azure eyes. His features looked eerily similar to Kaito's, though there were still differences – for example, the man's pale china skin was a few shades lighter than Kaito's and his cheekbones were definitely a little higher, not to mention he was at least two inches taller.

Kaito could only stare at him in shock, gaping. "Um…" he stuttered before managing to regain his composure. "Sir, this is a host club for _women_. If you're looking for a hostess club, there's one across the street."

The man glanced down at him. "This is Club Aphrodite, correct?" At Kaito's uncomfortable nod, he said, "Then I'm staying here."

"But sir, we don't cater to… uh…" Kaito searched for the words, but before he could find them, the man interrupted. He was surveying the club, eyes narrowed.

"Do you know which host is called 'Lupin'?" he asked.

Swallowing, Kaito answered, "That would be me."

For the first time, the man gave Kaito his full attention. Azure eyes searched his, and Kaito had the feeling the man could read his mind. The feeling was leaving him lightheaded, and he disengaged, quickly pulling his gaze away.

He was surprised when, out of the corner of his eye, he watched as a pair of shoes began padding towards a table. Yanking his eyes back up, he watched as the man walked calmly over to a table and seated himself, making intentional eye contact expectantly.

"What is it?" Kaito questioned, more than a little afraid.

The man sighed. "Aren't you going to entertain me? I thought this was a host club."

"Sir, I'm not…"

The man slanted his head to one side. "You're not what?"

Giving up, Kaito sat down across from him, breathing heavily. Not only was he extremely confused as to what was happening, but his headache had begun attacking once more, and he could feel his heartbeat pulsing through his skull.

"So you already know my name, right? I'm Lupin," he managed to get out.

"I'm Conan," returned the man.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No. I'll tell you my real name if you tell me yours," Conan replied.

"Sorry – uh – Conan-kun, but I can't do that. It's policy," Kaito explained.

"Really now." Conan was eyeing him oddly, a calculating expression thrown across his face. The two of them sat in silence for a moment, with Kaito beginning to sweat and Conan simply observing him.

The silence was beginning to feel almost natural when Conan broke it, effectively shocking Kaito enough to make him jerk upright. "So how much for one night?"

Uncomprehending, Kaito said, "Nightly rates are posted by the door –"

Conan shook his head, leaning over the table. "That's not what I meant. How much for one time?"

Eealizing what the man meant, Kaito promptly flushed pink. "I'm not… I don't do that, sir. None of the hosts here do that."

"Is it because I'm a man?" Conan wondered. "If I were a girl, how much would it be?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't do that!" snapped Kaito, beginning to grow irritated with him. "It doesn't matter what gender the client is. I don't sleep with anyone for money."

Conan sat back – and was it just Kaito, or did he look… satisfied? His head was now violently spinning, so he couldn't be sure, but even in his state he could detect a hint of contentment in Conan's expression.

"Right. Thanks," Conan thanked, and he raised his hand to flag down a waiter as if nothing had happened.

Kaito stared, utterly bemused. He could only watch as Conan ordered them both drinks, cool and collected as if he hadn't just asked a person of the same gender to sleep with him for money.

"So," Conan said, turning back to Kaito. There was a small half-smile present on his face. "How much do you make?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not comfortable giving you that information," Kaito muttered. His head was pounding even harder, and he could hear blood rushing past his ears. _Perhaps I should've stayed home today…_

"Do you live in an apartment?"

"What's with all the questions? Is this really that entertaining?" questioned Kaito icily. He knew the tone of voice he was using was definitely not host-like, but his head was murdering him and this Conan guy was really annoying him.

"Now, is that really how you should speak to a paying client?" chided Conan, looking vaguely amused.

Kaito opened his mouth to answer, but a wave of pain crashed over his head, sending him into a spiral of discomfort. "I –" he got out, but he couldn't go any farther before he passed out, black spots swarming his vision.

The sound of Conan's alarmed, "Lupin?!" was the last thing he heard.

* * *

**I seem to enjoy making characters pass out. Weird.**

**Anyway, there's a reason why Shinichi is acting so OOC, and if you can figure out what it is, kudos (or Kudous of the Shinichi variety, if you like) to you. Eventually it will probably be explained.**

**Also. Enjoy OOC/angsty/depressed/"hollow" Kaito while you can. In the next couple of chapters, he's probably going to be reverted back to normal (well, if I continue).**

**What else... oh! I figured out a naming scheme for the chapter titles. It's pretty lame, but I tried, right?**

**Thanks for reading, my darlings! Drop a review if you can!**

**- Luna**


	3. Asclepius

**Pairings: **[eventual – this chapter is kind of pre-slashy] Shinichi x Kaito,slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi (better, ami-chan? :D)

**Warnings: **host!Kaito, plot holes, probably grammar/spelling mistakes, cliches, and eventual shounen-ai (yes indeed)

**Notes: **So… yeah. This contains a bit more yaoi/shounen-ai than previous chapters.

But hey, fast update YET AGAIN! That's probably because these chapters are short & I find this story really fun to write, for some reason. This is slightly filler-ish, so sorry!

**Club Aphrodite**

Asclepius

_- god of medicine, healing and rejuvenation -_

Underneath cold fingertips, Kaito felt the gentle touch of unfamiliar cotton sheets. His head felt swaddled in drowsiness, and he barely managed to lift his leaden eyelids.

He was lying in a foreign bed in a foreign room. The bed was large and well-dressed in plain white sheets, and the room was spacious and airy. The slightly open bay window to his left presented a bright midafternoon view overlooking a gated front yard, and the paper-hidden desk and overflowing bookshelf to his right notified him that the room's owner was quite literary.

Kaito stared up at the ceiling, silently panicking. While he didn't _feel _like he was in danger, waking up in a random room in a random place generally didn't end well for anyone. Especially the person waking up.

The sound of light footsteps advancing sent Kaito into a frenzy. His gaze instantly snapped to the previously ignored door by the desk, waiting wide-eyed.

The door swung open, revealing… Conan?

He was dressed in form-fitting jeans and a gray jacket, looking faintly surprised to see Kaito awake. Dropping into an angle against the doorframe, he remarked softly, "Hey, you're awake."

A scowl creasing his brow, Kaito let out a breath, nodding. The irritating client was not exactly the first person he wanted to see when he was defenseless. "Yes, I am."

Conan walked forward, sitting down on a carefully placed chair by the bed, one that had gone unnoticed by Kaito. "Feeling any better?"

Blinking, Kaito could only stare up at Conan. Was this really the same man who had pointlessly harassed him earlier? He seemed like a completely different person. "I'm a little better, yes," he answered uneasily.

"That's good. You passed out from sleep deprivation combined with a somewhat high fever," Conan informed. "I gave you some medication for the fever, and it went right down. I think it's pretty much gone now, so you should be fine working and whatnot. Oh – by the way, you've been here since yesterday afternoon."

"…Oh," Kaito said, at a loss for words. He was finding it difficult to meet Conan's eyes, what with his heartbeat suddenly tasting metallic in his mouth. "Thanks for taking care of me. Should I… uh… pay you or something?"

"Now why would you do that? Aren't _I _the customer and you the host?" replied Conan. "It was honestly nothing."

A silence invaded the room as Kaito rapidly moved to sit up. He was still dressed in his hosting clothing, and on closer inspection, he noticed a small bedside table next to the chair, covered in various medical supplies as well as a digital clock reading 2:04 p.m.

He cringed. Had he really been at Conan's place for that long? He really didn't want to be indebted to anyone – it was a pride thing.

"Would you like to join me for lunch or something?" Kaito had almost forgotten about the man himself, and the question caught him off guard. It was probably the last thing he was expecting from Conan, of all people. The image of a silent meal between the two of them flashed through his mind.

"Um, that's okay," Kaito quickly rejected. He didn't know how much longer he could manage to stay in Conan's perplexing company. "I'll just… be on my way now."

"Uh, all right," Conan agreed. As Kaito quickly got to his feet and wandered down the hall, completely lost, Conan followed him.

"The front door is just down the staircase and straight ahead. We're currently in Beika, block two, district twenty-one." The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before adding, "See you later."

Kaito glanced back over his shoulder, blushing, before quickly hurrying out. For some reason, Conan's sudden change in personality was incredibly unnerving.

* * *

Kaito's landline was ringing as he unlocked his apartment door. He picked it up as his door slammed shut behind him. "Hello?"

"Ah, Kuroba-kun," came the unmistakable voice of Hakuba Saguru.

In the background, Kaito picked up Hattori saying, "He answered?" as well as Makoto and Eisuke chatting.

"Are you guys at the club?" he wondered, one hand reaching up to clutch his overgrown bangs.

"Yes, we all happened to arrive early and wanted to give you a call," Hakuba affirmed. Glancing over at the wall clock, Kaito realized that it was already three o'clock, and he had yet to eat lunch. He started for the refrigerator.

"So what's up?' Kaito asked.

"We're just wondering how you're doing," explained Hakuba. "You know – after you collapsed…"

"About that. What exactly happened and why did I wake up in some guy's bed?"

Makoto and Eisuke's conversation suddenly died. There was a long pause before Hakuba said cautiously, "By which you mean…"

Flushing red, Kaito half-yelled, "No, not like that! I was alone in bed. And fully clothed," he added in a failed attempt to make the situation sound better. He dug out a store-bought bento he'd purchased a few days earlier and examined it carefully, clamping the phone down between his ear and his shoulder.

Makoto and Eisuke's conversation resumed as Hattori and Hakuba both let out sighs of relief. Hakuba said, "Well, you passed out for some reason while entertaining that guy client. We apologized and tried to get you into the back while one of us tried to take over for you, but he wouldn't have it. He insisted he would take care of you since he had the time, and then he kind of carried you off before we could stop him. It was pretty weird." A short silence followed by, "Why was he there, anyway? Do you know him?"

Kneeing the refrigerator door closed and moving towards the kitchen table, Kaito responded, "Nope. I'd never seen him before then."

"Oh. That's odd," commented Hakuba. "Anyway, I guess we'll see you soon, right?"

"Uh-huh," Kaito confirmed, setting the bento down on the tabletop and popping the lid off of it. "See you soon."

The call terminated. Kaito sat down, staring down blankly at his bento.

_He insisted on taking me home, huh…_

* * *

Kaito was waving goodbye to one of his regulars when the familiar form of Ran dropped down in front of him. "Hi, Lupin-kun," she greeted, slightly breathless and smiling brightly.

"Hey, Ran-san," replied Kaito, matching her grin. "How's everything with your man?"

She blushed. "When I told him that I'd gotten your advice, he said, 'From who?' and got jealous, I think."

"That's great. I'm happy for you, Ran-san," Kaito beamed.

"So… I just wanted to say thank you," Ran told him shyly.

Leaning across the table to take her hands, Kaito smiled gently, being sure to make eye contact. "You're welcome," he said warmly.

A sudden cough disrupted them. An uncomfortable-looking waiter was standing there, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "Lupin-sama, there's a client here who's quite adamant on seeing you."

"Can't she wait? I'm sort of in the middle of something," Kaito queried, sighing. He found it irritating when customers refused to wait for him to finish with others or see other hosts.

The waiter, looking increasingly uncomfortable, averted his gaze. "Um… I'll tell… uh… _him _that."

Eyes widening, Kaito looked quickly over at an eyebrow-raising Ran, wearing an expression that said _I didn't know this host club serviced men as well. _He offered her an apologetic smile.

"Tell him I'll see him now. Sorry, Ran-san, but would you mind switching over to, uh… Bond?" He motioned at the "Bond" (Eisuke), who was seeing his previous customer off.

"No problem, Lupin-kun." Ran smiled. "Thanks for that advice." Standing, she hurried over to the bespectacled klutz, who turned and blushed as the beautiful girl approached.

Smirking slightly, Kaito was barely prepared as Conan seated himself. An eyebrow shot up as he noticed that Conan was wearing a pair of oversized glasses, a rather large scarf, and a hat. "Uh, Conan…?"

"Don't ask, Lupin," came the muffled rely. Tucking down the scarf to his expose his perfectly chapped lips (_what was Kaito thinking?!_), Conan grinned. "So hi. For the second time today."

"Yes. About that – thanks again," Kaito stuttered.

"No problem. I felt kind of responsible, with the questions I was asking before you passed out," Conan shrugged.

Swallowing down his heart (_what was wrong with Kaito. Like really_), Kaito put on a forced smile. "That was nothing, really. You should see what I have to deal with usually."

Conan stared at him, azure eyes narrowed pensively, for a long minute. Kaito felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.

_What's wrong with me? _Kaito inwardly reprimanded himself. _None of the other clients make me feel like this… Is it because he's a man?_

Suddenly, Conan lunged forward and grabbed Kaito's face in his hands, literally yanking the smile straight off. Protesting quite vocally, Kaito tried to ward off the evidently psychotic man, but Conan's grip was too strong.

"Something's… wrong… with… your… face," grunted Conan, diving across the table to get a better hold of the scrabbling Kaito. (The two of them appeared to be garnering most of the attention in the club.) "It… looks… like… you're… forcing… yourself… to… smile. Which… shouldn't… be… true…"

Kaito abruptly stopped struggling, and Conan fell, sprawling across his lap with a pitiful half-shriek. The club, all murmuring, appeared to slowly return to their business. Even from where he was sitting, Kaito could tell Hakuba was watching with eyebrows raised.

"What the hell was that for? Give me some warning before you just stop flailing," Conan grumbled, rubbing his head and repositioning his glasses across his nose bridge. He looked up to see Kaito grinning madly, a hand pressing back a laugh.

Sliding into a sitting position, Conan smirked. "You okay, Lupin?"

Kaito shook his head, avoiding talking in favor of holding back a fit of laughter.

Finally, _finally, _someone had noticed how forced his smile was.

* * *

**Hopefully you like senseless fluff, considering that's what this is. XD This would begin my failed attempt to get Shinichi and Kaito back in character.**

**And yes. I picked a very random title god. But it sort of fits, right? Right?**

**Also, I came up with a Valentine's Day fic idea. Should I write it even though it's June? It seriously annoys me that I can only come up with these flu****ffy holiday ideas at random times during the year and never on time.**

**As always, thank you for reading! Drop me a review if you've got time~!**

**- Luna**


	4. Phthonus

**Pairings: **[eventual – Kaito barely makes an appearance this chapter] Shinichi x Kaito, slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi

**Warnings: **host!Kaito and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)

**Notes: **Sorry for the wait. Nothing else to say, really, except that I'm extremely depressed right now due to a combination of SafetySuit and angsty RoyEd fanfics. (There seem to be a lot of these.

But uh, I'll try so summon up some cheer! This time, we get a filler chapter in Shinichi's point of view! Hopefully this will be refreshing for the reader.

**Club Aphrodite**

Phthonus

_- god of jealousy and envy -_

Arms crossed across his chest, Shinichi stood cloaked in the shadows of one of Club Aphrodite's darker corners as he watched Ran and Lupin conversing animatedly at Lupin's regular spot. His best friend was smiling, beaming, giggling, and generally looking cheerful.

It was rather heartwarming, Shinichi decided as he smirked into the scarf huddled high around his chin. Ran had started growing fainter, more distant, and Shinichi had been worried.

It had started shortly after she'd confessed to him. Shinichi, knowing he'd been unable to reciprocate her feelings, had tried to let her off easy. Of course, that didn't go down well with her anyway.

She had run away after he'd told her he didn't love her that way, but the last place Shinichi expected Ran to have run to was his mother's host club. And the last thing he'd expected was for her to return from it talking wildly about "Lupin-kun," and how amazing and inspiring he was.

Even if Shinichi wasn't in love with her, he was still her best friend. He didn't trust hosts, even if his mother had been the one to hire them. And thus he had set out to thoroughly investigate this Lupin character – discover his true colors, see if he'd hurt Ran in the end.

He'd been surprised by Lupin. Instead of a heartlessly fake player, Lupin – Kuroba Kaito, as his mother had informed him – had turned out to be a jaded man, one who was aware of his attractiveness and willing to make use of it, but not at anyone's expense.

Shinichi watched the way Kaito treated all his clients, doing his best to keep them entertained without crossing the line or leading them on, and how he always seemed like he was concealing his unhappiness, glossing over it with painted smiles and fabricated laughter.

Truly, the man was a mystery, pondered Shinichi as he continued watching. He made Shinichi wonder why he'd chosen a job he seemed so weary of and why he continued to do it even so. Shinichi was honestly glad he'd found it necessary to examine him.

A blush suddenly crawled across Shinichi's face as he remembered his first attempt at interrogated Kaito. _He thought I was a freak, didn't he? _he recollected, remembering the way Kaito had stared at him, irate and frustrated with Shinichi's antics. _I did ask him some embarrassing things…_

Feeling a buzz in his pocket, Shinichi glanced down absently, gently tugging his vibrating cell phone out of his coat. Reading the caller ID, he rolled his eyes but still picked it up, pressing it against his ear.

"Mom?" he whispered, flanking his mouth with a hand. "What do you want?"

There was a small pause before Yukiko squealed, "You're at my club, Shin-chan?"

"Dammit," growled Shinichi, letting out a disgruntled sigh. He was starting to attract attention – a man dressed in a scarf, coat, and oversized glasses standing in the corner of a host club was hardly normal. He turned into the corner. "Why did you call? And how did you know?"

"So you _are _at my club? I _knew _it! I figured you wouldn't be anywhere that plays Kuraki Mai unless you it was Club Aphrodite!"

Sending the ceiling speakers a glare as Shinichi realized that "Try Again" was indeed blaring quite loudly throughout the club, he reiterated, "Why did you call?!"

An airy laugh reached Shinichi's ear. "I just wanted to see if you were still interested in Kai-chan!"

A light flush slid across Shinichi's cheeks before he realized it. "Don't say it like that! I just wanted to check that Ran wasn't going to get played!"

Yukiko tsked. "Shin-chan, you already checked up on him and reached a conclusion. It doesn't take you long to analyze people. And even if you were just 'checking up on him,' you didn't have to take care of him when he collapsed!" She laughed ecstatically. "Shin-chan, I think you're enamored of him!"

"Hell no!" Shinichi half shrieked, quickly looking over his shoulders to check if he was still being stared at. (He was.) Lowering his voice, he spat, "How did you even know about _that_?!"

"Saguru-kun told me," his mother sang. "He didn't know you're my son, though. He said he didn't have Chikage-chan's number and wanted me to tell her that Kai-chan had collapsed at work and was in the care of a guy who looked like him. Since you told me you were going to evaluate Kai-chan, I figured it was you!"

Shinichi was about to give a sharp retort when he felt a soft tap on the shoulder. Whipping around, he found himself staring directly into the tan face of one of the other hosts, one he believed to be named Ellery – after Ellery Queen, Shinichi could only guess.

"Uh, hi. Are you here for Lupin?" the man asked in a voice tinted with an Osakan accent as he shifted his weight from foot to foor. He was clearly uncomfortable with Shinichi's presence.

Blinking, Shinichi answered, "Uh… I guess so." Realizing that Yukiko was expressing some sort of irritation by the squawking he heard from his phone, Shinichi quickly told her, "I've got to go. Seriously, I am not 'enamored of' him! Leave me alone!" before hanging up.

"Girl trouble?" Ellery questioned uneasily.

Regarding the Osakan for a second, Shinichi burst out laughing. "Oh God – hell no! That was my mom!"

Appearing defensive, Ellery glared. "How was I supposed to know? It sounded like you were talking to your girlfriend about coming to a host club." A faintly awkward look bloomed in his eyes. "Uh… are you… you know…?"

"What do I know?" queried Shinichi, finding baiting the Osakan rather amusing.

Ellery turned a furious red that burned visibly even through his dark skin. "Do you swing that way?"

Looking pensive, Shinichi asked innocently, "Which way?"

Now glowering, the host whisper-yelled, "Do you like men?!"

"Oh. No," Shinichi replied calmly, grinning at Ellery's silently outraged reaction.

"Then why are you here?!" he demanded, scowl still in place.

"I wanted to check out Lupin," responded Shinichi, only realizing what it sounded like after the words had already left his lips.

"Then wouldn't that mean you like men?!"

"No, I meant…" Seeing the expression on Ellery's face, Shinichi exhaled. "Never mind. Sure, let's just go with that."

"Yeah. Let's," Ellery snapped, still seeming irked. The two of them leaned against the wall, observing as the business continued amongst the host club. Shinichi did a quick scan of all the hosts – the bespectacled, tan one seemed to be entertaining a blonde who clung to his every word, the one Shinichi recognized as "Saguru-kun" was talking to a girl who bore an eerie resemblance to Ran, and the slightly girlish, klutzy one was manning the bar and chatting with the girls sitting there.

And of course there was Kaito, still speaking with Ran. The two were now drinking, both laughing and Kaito reaching out to touch her shoulder every now and then. Shinichi felt a pang, and he frowned, clutching the front of his coat. Either he was overheated, or he was jealous. Of… one of them. He wondered which one.

Ellery let out a contented sound, and Shinichi jumped, remembering the other's presence. "It's kind of nice to see all this playing out," the host remarked, a small smile on his lips.

"I know what you mean," Shinichi agreed. "It is nice."

Ellery seemed to start, appearing to realize something. "I'm sorry, I forgot to get your name," he apologized, moving to face Shinichi apologetically.

"I'm… well, around here, I go by Conan," stuttered Shinichi, having not anticipated the question. He shuffled his feet clumsily underneath him.

Gazing at him for a second, Ellery loosened a dry laugh, falling back into place with his back against the wall. "That's funny. You'd get along with Arthur, then."

"Huh? Arthur?"

Motioning at the foreigner with the Ran-lookalike, Ellery smirked. "His name comes from Sir _Arthur _Conan Doyle, from which I believe yours does too."

"That's right," Shinichi said, surprised that the tan host had made the connection so quickly. "I assume you're more of an Ellery Queen fan, right?"

It was Ellery's turn to be surprised. Sending Shinichi an impressed glance, he said, "Yeah, I am. That's where my name came from, after all."

"Interesting. You know, when I was younger, I used to be known as the Great Detective of the East," remarked Shinichi offhandedly.

Ellery jerked upright. "You?!"

Bemused by his reaction, Shinichi nodded. "Yes, while I was in high school...?" He trailed off as Ellery grinned, sharklike.

"That _is _interesting. I was known as the Great Detective of the West when _I _was in high school," he informed.

Shinichi stared. "Well. How unexpected. What happened after high school for you? Why aren't you still pursuing crime?" he wondered, suddenly feeling closer to the host.

"Oh, I didn't want to work in the police force because I thought people might accuse me of nepotism. My dad's the superintendent supervisor of the Osaka police. So I opened my own detective agency, but I work here as a day job," Ellery explained, shrugging. "It pays well enough. You?"

"I'm a special consultant for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force," Shinichi told him. "It's not really that great a source of income, so occasionally I do some recreational writing. It usually sells decently enough to support me."

"I see. Hey, we should totally go out for okonomiyaki. I know this great place back in Osaka," Ellery said, grinning. "We can swap stories."

Shinichi smiled at his new friend. "Sounds good. Here's my number." He had just reached into his coat pocket to retrieve a slip of paper when a new voice interrupted them.

"I see you two have met."

Ellery and Shinichi simultaneously looked at the source of the voice to see Kaito standing there, wearing that awful artificial smile. "I can take you now, Conan," he announced, glaring slightly at Ellery, who looked vaguely bewildered.

"Uh… yeah," Shinichi affirmed, following Kaito back to his table. He glanced over his shoulder at Ellery, who shrugged and grinned before hurrying to open the front door for a new customer.

_What was that about?_

* * *

**Can anyone say FILLER? Because I just wrote over a thousand words of it.**

**Also. I'm still really depressed. Someone! Write happy, fluffy RoyEd and let me read it!**

**Well, reviews mean I'll continue. But I'll understand if nobody wants me to. *goes off to cry***

**- Luna**


	5. Hestia

**Pairings: **[eventual – this chapter is slightly slashier pre-slash] Shinichi x Kaito,slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi

**Warnings: **host!Kaito and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)

**Notes: **God I need to get a life. I literally searched through all the RoyEd fics I could find until I found a happy, fluffy one that I liked. But then I accidentally read a character death-y one while "What If" by SafetySuit was playing. I am a failure.

But anyway. *cough* More fluff-stuffed filler!

**Club Aphrodite**

Hestia

_- goddess of hearth and home -_

Fuming, Kaito leaned back, pressing his back against his cushioned seat. Across the table, Conan was watching him warily, an eyebrow quirked up underneath his fringe. "Lupin…?"

"What were you and Ha… Ellery talking about?" Damn. Was it just him, or was he jealous of that damn Osakan? He was certainly far enough out of it to slip up on Hattori's name. Kaito lifted a hand to massage his nose bridge, clenching his eyes shut.

"Ellery? Oh, we were just expressing a mutual fondness for mystery," Conan answered slowly, as if trying to gauge Kaito's reaction. "Is there something wrong with that…?"

A breath pulled out from between Kaito's lips. "Good. I thought…" _What exactly had I thought? _All Kaito had really _thought _was that he didn't like the easy way Conan and Hattori were laughing together, exchanging comments and trading smiles every moment, shoulders brushing and Conan looking dazzling and perfect and just…

Ran had noticed. "You okay, Lupin-kun?" she'd questioned knowingly as she traced his stolen attention to the heavily bundled figure in the corner, a devious smirk crossing her face. "I see. Excuse me, I'm going to get a drink."

Kaito had sputtered after her before surrendering and moving to reclaim Conan.

A tiny smile cracked across his face. _Reclaim. Like he's _mine _or something. _Strangely enough, Kaito didn't exactly find the idea that repulsive…

Conan was still regarding Kaito confusedly. "Seriously though, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Kaito quickly assured, leaning forward to rest his head atop knitted fingers. "We just have a policy that we don't steal each other's clients. I was concerned that's what Ellery was doing."

Blinking, Conan laughed. "That's what you were worried about? How ridiculous."

At Kaito's slightly annoyed glare, Conan hurried to clarify, "Hey now, don't take that the wrong way. I come to this host club solely for the purpose of talking to you."

Fighting the urge to blush, Kaito stammered, "T-That's… okay." In an attempt to calm his suddenly erratic heartbeat and avoid Conan's piercing azure eyes, he flagged down a waiter. "Anything you'd like?" he asked Conan, managing to pull on his Poker Face just in time to face his client.

Conan waved him off. "I'm good for tonight."

"All right," Kaito agreed, nodding the waiter off. He turned to observe the man across from him. "So how are things for you? Girlfriend?"

Conan appeared to choke. "Girlfriend? What?"

Feeling slightly disturbed, Kaito hesitantly asked, "…Boyfriend?"

Conan looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "No! I don't have a lover!"

"Ah, okay," Kaito stuttered. "I just kind of assumed…"

Eyebrows lifted, Conan tossed off, "If I was in a relationship, I would not even _think _about setting foot in a host club. Because when I fall in love, I don't screw around. I don't let go, and I don't expect the other person to let go either." He grinned, a sudden, tangible thing with a hint of both mirth and melancholy. "Of course, I've never fallen in love."

Unsure of what exactly would be appropriate, Kaito merely said, "I see."

Azure eyes locked on indigo, and Kaito nearly stopped breathing at the intensity of the blue. "Have you ever fallen in love, Lupin?"

Shrugging and trying to play it off as nothing, Kaito replied, "With a job like mine, something's bound to happen eventually, you know?"

Eyes narrowing just a fraction of a centimeter, Conan remarked, "You didn't answer my question, you know. Have you even fallen in love, Lupin?"

Capitulating, Kaito exhaled, a manufactured smile twitching on his lips. "Honestly? I don't know. I've had a feeling I'm pretty sure is love, and I've had it multiple times. But I… I don't think I've ever been drowning in that feeling." He paused. "Isn't that really what love is? Suffocating with the need for someone, unable to live without them? When you first start, you think you'll get out just fine, but by the end you know that it's too late for you because it hurts too much. You know that you just can't go on when that person's not there. That's falling in love, isn't it?"

Kaito suddenly realized Conan was gazing at him, eyes slightly lidded. "What?" he asked, self-conscious.

"It's nothing," Conan promised, waving a hand. "I was just expecting something less… accurate. I don't know, something more… flowery. Something about how falling in love is like falling asleep – you don't think it's going to be that fulfilling, but once you start, you end up in a dream world so happy you never want to leave."

"What about nightmares?" Kaito inquired, feeling skeptical.

Conan laughed, a sound Kaito decided he rather liked. "That's what I always asked too." He leaned forward, a slight smile still renting out his lips. "To me, falling in love _is _like falling asleep. But not in that way. You do it not because you want to, but because you need to. It's something that just happens, because you're too tired to deal with it anymore. And once you've done it and you're in that dream world, you see everything differently, and everything makes sense to you. But it always gets unpleasant. And when you wake up, you realize that really, nothing makes sense and everyone has been just like they've always have. You're the one who thought differently."

By the time he'd finished speaking, Conan was frowning slightly, staring into Kaito's face with scrutinizing eyes. Kaito was finding it difficult to restrain his blush now.

"Hey, Lupin, are you doing okay? Health wise, I mean," Conan suddenly questioned. "You don't look that well, now that I'm actually looking at you."

Coughing himself out of his trance, Kaito responded, "Uh, well, maybe?"

"Have you been taking care of yourself?" demanded Conan, a slash mark deep between his eyes. "Eating properly? Sleeping well?"

"Sort of…?" If the look on Conan's face was any indication, Kaito's shaky response was quite a bit unwelcome.

"That's it. I'm coming home with you."

Kaito's brain stalled for a full ten seconds before he half shouted, "What?!" as a flush spread across his cheeks.

Conan was already nodding. "That's the best way. I can see how you live and how you can improve it. If you collapse at work again, I'll have to take care of you, so in the end, it's more efficient to just prevent that from happening."

"What are you even _talking _about?! My health is of no concern!" hissed Kaito, glaring at his client heatedly. "You're just a customer! And why would you need to take care of me if I collapsed?"

"Of course I do," replied Conan simply, rising to his feet. "I'm going to wait at the back until you're done with work. See you later."

Gawping, Kaito could only watch as the man retreated, leaving out the front door. _How the hell did it come to this? _

He could only thank God he didn't have a heist tonight.

* * *

True to his word, Conan was indeed waiting for Kaito once Kaito had finished work. Having changed into a sweatshirt and jeans, Kaito opened the back door sullenly, stepping out with his bag over his shoulder.

Somehow, he was glad that Conan was exhibiting this much concern for him, but at the same time, Kaito wasn't sure what to make of the man.

"Great! You're ready," Conan greeted cheerily.

"Remind me again why you're following me home?" grumbled Kaito, rolling his eyes as he walked briskly through the alley.

Keeping up easily, Conan replied, "To take care of you, of course."

"Cut it out. Seriously."

"What, I'm not allowed to be worried about you?" scoffed Conan, sounding playfully affronted.

"Not if it means stalking me," snapped Kaito, breaking into a near-run.

There was a grin clearly evident in Conan's voice as he half sang, "Come on, Lupin~! Accept my love!"

Kaito's cheeks flared red. "Shut up," he muttered. "I'm pretty sure I shouldn't take a customer home by club rules."

"Don't worry about that," Conan assured, apparently not noticing the cherry hue of Kaito's face. "If you're worried about getting in trouble with the owner, that is."

Sending Conan a slightly puzzled look, Kaito shrugged, and continued on to his apartment.

* * *

"So this is it."

Conan stood in the doorway, gaze sliding from one side of the apartment to the other. Noticing the kitchen, he walked in and opened the refrigerator. Kaito held his breath.

Face outlined in the refrigerator's glow, Conan turned an "are you serious?" stare on Kaito. "Seriously? Store-bought bentos?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Kaito lied, "I don't usually eat here much…?"

"Sure," Conan said disbelievingly. "You aren't eating properly, are you?"

"Maybe…" Kaito muttered, averting his eyes.

There was a creak of fabric straightening as Conan stood up. "Well, I've got my work cut out for me if this is what you're eating. I'm guessing you're not sleeping enough, are you? You collapsed from fatigue, after all."

"I'm fine. I don't think you need to worry this much about me!" insisted Kaito. "I don't know why I let you come this far."

"Isn't it because you know that you're not living right?" Rubbing his forehead tiredly, Conan said, "Look, just let me help you. Seriously."

"I'm fine," repeated Kaito testily, tossing his bag onto the kitchen table.

"Lupin…"

"I don't need your pity, Conan," said Kaito wearily, dropping down into one of the kitchen chairs. "And I don't want to cause problems for you."

"The only problem would be if you die from not taking good enough care of yourself," countered Conan, sitting down across from him. He reached over and tipped up Kaito's chin, forcing him to meet his forceful gaze.

For some reason, the combination of blue and the sensation of cool fingertips underneath his chin made Kaito flush. "What?" he growled, stumbling slightly over the syllable.

"Let me help you," Conan persisted, and locked in his eyes, Kaito could only bring himself to nod silently.

"Good." A smile curled the line of Conan's lips upward, and he removed his fingers. Kaito let his head fall. "Now we're going to sleep."

"Wait, what? 'We'?" squawked Kaito, barely recovering before he hurried after Conan into his bedroom. "What are you… where are you going?"

Conan turned to look at him like it was the most natural thing in the world as he began stripping. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to sleep."

"What?! Here?!" Kaito gaped, openmouthed, as Conan peered around the bedroom disdainfully.

"We're going to have to share, huh," he noted calmly, neatly folding his shirt. "I'll take left side. You take right," he ordered, strolling into the adjoining bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kaito shrieked, racing after him. "Go home!"

An eyebrow raised, Conan glanced at his enraged host in the mirror as he rummaged around in the cabinet. Finding a new toothbrush, he wetted it underneath the faucet and picked up Kaito's toothpaste. "What are you talking about? Didn't you say I could help you? How am I supposed to do that when I'm at home?"

As the implications of what exactly Conan had meant by "helping him," sank in and Conan scrubbed away at his teeth, Kaito threw his hands up in the air. _You know what? I don't even care anymore._

Moving towards the sink, he nudged his unwanted guest to the side, eliciting a grunt. "I've got to brush my teeth too," Kaito explained resentfully.

He didn't miss the toothpaste-masked grin that spread across Conan's face.

As Conan spat out a mouthful of white and exited the bathroom, a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to Kaito. His hand automatically stopped moving, going slack.

_I'm going to share a bed with a man whose real name I don't even know._

* * *

**Not proofread and a bit random. Shinichi and Kaito also feel like they've switched characters T_T. Drop me a review, k?**

**- Luna**


	6. Eris

**Pairings: **[eventual – this chapter is just MORE pre-slash] Shinichi x Kaito,slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi

**Warnings: **host!Kaito and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)

**Notes: **I was sort of excited to write this chapter… until I read a guest review that kind of depressed me. Now I don't really want to T_T.

For anyone who can still take this story seriously, please skip the next two paragraphs. This chapter is pretty dramatic/angsty (to reflect my mood - pathetic, I know), so just a heads up.

* * *

**To "Mila"**: Hey there darling :) I just wanted to take a step back and explain some things. At the end of the chapter, I admitted that Shinichi and Kaito seemed to have switched personalities, meaning that Kaito was very subdued whereas Shinichi was somewhat pushy. I know that they're both out of character, and thus the story is less believable ^_^", but to me, that's what makes fan fiction fun to read – you get to see characters doing something they definitely wouldn't do canonically. Then again, that's pretty much just me. Most people probably prefer in-character characters.

As for the rest of your review: I'm not sure if I've contradicted myself in previous chapters, but while I was writing the last chapter, I thought, maybe incorrectly, that I never mentioned Kaito having a couch or futon or even a living room. He lives in an apartment with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom (he works as a host, after all. Not exactly rolling in the dough, and housing in Japan is fairly expensive). While I suppose Shinichi could've slept in a kitchen chair, I don't see why he would if Kaito has a queen-size bed and he's attracted to Kaito (wink wink, nudge nudge). Anyway, I tried to remedy this anyway (if you read on, you'll see).

Thanks for your review, and I'll try my best to improve! *heart* - Luna

* * *

**Club Aphrodite**

Eris

_- goddess of strife and discord –_

Kaito pulled a comb through his hair gently, unsuccessfully hacking at the mess and only making it worse. He sighed, setting down the comb.

It had been nearly a week since Conan had forced his way into Kaito's life and apartment. After the first night of sleeping in the same bed, which had torn Kaito's nerves apart and only left him more fatigued than ever, Conan had brought a futon from somewhere – Kaito had no idea where – and started camping out in the kitchen. While Kaito felt somewhat guilty that he had no place else for the man to sleep (his apartment didn't even have a living room), he was vastly relieved.

Conan had been cooking all their meals. While Kaito hadn't expected much from him, he'd shown he had quite a bit of skill in the kitchen after all. It was an interesting change from convenient store food, not that he'd admit it to Conan. The man was already smug enough about Kaito's apparently improving health.

Kaito's client had finally explained what he did for a living – Conan was a consultant for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force, and he usually stayed at Kaito's apartment, solving case files. There were times, though, when he went grocery shopping or went into the actual police headquarters and other times where Kaito had no idea where he went.

When both of them were home, they usually ended up having conversations comprised of sarcastic remarks traded back and forth, though Kaito couldn't deny that when he wanted to be, Conan was a rather engaging conversationalist. The few serious exchanges they shared were surprisingly enjoyable, although the mocking banter far outweighed them.

But generally, Conan was a perfect houseguest who did little to cause Kaito trouble.

There was one problem, though. After finding Conan was a detective of sorts, Kaito hadn't wanted to risk doing another heist. But he still couldn't keep prolonging them – otherwise, Conan would probably realize that the halt in heists and his stay with Kaito coincided perfectly. It was really a no-win situation, and Kaito was still concerned that Conan might find his secret Kid closet while Kaito was out.

Kaito was disturbed from his thoughts when Conan stuck his head into Kaito's bedroom. "Hey, Lupin, the food's ready. Want to eat some before you go to work?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Kaito nodded, draping his tie around his neck. He followed the consultant into his kitchen, sitting down at the food-covered table. "Thanks."

"No problem. Thanks for letting me stay here." Conan took the seat across from him.

"You're the one who's helping _me _get better, you know. But I still stand by what I said – I'm fine," grumbled Kaito, scooping rice sullenly into his mouth.

"Yes, yes," Conan smirked, picking up his chopsticks. "By the way, I thought I might stop in at the club tomorrow night. Try to keep a slot open for me, okay?"

"Uh, okay," Kaito said. As he continued eating, he glanced at the man across from him. He was still a little wary of him, despite all he was doing for Kaito. While it was possible he simply wanted to help Kaito, Kaito could see no reason that he would go this far. And why did he even _care _about Kaito? Kaito was just a random host at a random club that Conan had gone to for no apparent reason.

_Well, there's no changing anything now, _Kaito thought. _I'm going to need to make heist plans as soon as possible, though. It's already been a little too long since the last one._

"Thanks for the food," Kaito thanked Conan once more, setting down his chopsticks. "I have to leave now or I'll be late for my shift."

Glancing over at the kitchen clock, Conan nodded his agreement. "Okay. I'll be in around seven or so tomorrow evening."

"Got it," Kaito responded, grabbing his coat off the rack and slinging it on. "You should probably leave the door unlock when you leave, though. I'm not going to be getting in until late tonight."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Conan muttered, and Kaito rolled his eyes. The first night, both Kaito and Conan had forgotten that Conan didn't have a key to Kaito's apartment, which had forced Conan to wait outside until Kaito returned from the club. Considering that Kaito's shift ended at one in the morning, it had been a less than pleasant experience.

While Kaito was concerned that someone might try to break into his apartment if he left it unlocked, he consoled himself that it was better than facing Conan's wrath and he didn't have anything worth stealing, anyway.

"See you then," Kaito called as he left. The door closed on Conan's muffled "okay."

* * *

Kaito stood in front of his locker, securing the tie around his neck in a smart knot. Patting down his still unruly hair, he shut the door and turned to enter the club just as Hakuba walked in.

"Oh. Hi," greeted Kaito indifferently, trying to shoulder past the man, who did all he could to stop him.

"Kuroba-kun, I wanted to talk to you," announced Hakuba.

Glaring at him, Kaito gave a final shove with his elbow. "Can this wait? We open in literally two minutes."

"As if _you _would know the time better than I would," scoffed Hakuba. "I just wanted to ask you if you're feeling any better."

Mouth dropping open, Kaito let out a disbelieving laugh. "Since when have you cared about my wellbeing, bastard?"

A smile split Hakuba's face. "So you _are _feeling better."

"What?"

"Well, I was just thinking it's been a while since you called me 'bastard.' You haven't said that to me since, what, high school?" Hakuba explained.

Blinking, Kaito lifted an eyebrow rather skeptically. "So the fact that I can insult you makes you think I'm feeling better? I fail to see your logic, Hakuba."

"You've just been so depressed that you couldn't even swear at me. Seriously, it's an improvement," Hakuba grumbled. "Anyway, _I _wasn't the one who was wondering if you were better. Yuki-san called and asked if you had been feeling better."

"Yuki-neechan did?" _The owner did? Why?_

"I don't know why either, but she asked to check up on you. I can tell her that you've been better now." Hakuba finally stepped to the side. "Oh, and you _look _better, too. Less… pale and… I don't know, weird." At Kaito's irritated glance, Hakuba smirked. "Have you actually been eating?"

At a slight loss, Kaito stuttered, "Oh… yes. I have." _Because of Conan, I guess…_

"That's good. See you, Kuroba-kun." Hakuba nodded once more before heading into the club, footsteps pounding down the hall.

Standing in silence, Kaito slowly reopened his locker, peering into the mirror. Hakuba was actually right (though Kaito didn't exactly want to admit it) – the glassy film on his eyes had lifted, his skin had stopped masquerading as paper, and his eyelashes had finally lifted up. There were visible results from Conan's treatment, and it almost confused Kaito.

_Well then. _The two words sat in his mouth. _I should probably thank him, somehow…_

* * *

Twenty-seven hours later, Kaito stared at the key in his hand. Today he'd gotten his house key duplicated – one for Conan. Glancing at his watch, he noted it was just about seven, which meant the consultant should be making his appearance soon.

"Lupin-kun?"

Kaito jerked and looked up at Ran, who was sitting across from him. She was wearing a quizzical expression. "Something wrong?"

"Oh… it's nothing," Kaito hurried to assure her, pushing the key into his pants pocket. "Anyway, how are things with your man?"

Ran sighed. "I don't know… He hasn't been at home recently, so I have to wonder if something's wrong with him."

_Hasn't been at home?_

"But anyway, I think I might be falling for someone else now," continued Ran, and Kaito grinned at the way her eyes flickered over at Eisuke.

"Oooooh, I see how it is. It's Bond, isn't it? Good luck," Kaito beamed, and Ran blushed, ducking her head.

"Don't say that, Lupin-kun! There's no way he likes me back, anyway," she insisted, and Kaito laughed.

"Don't say _that_, Ran-san! I could easily find out, and I'm sure he likes you as well," sang Kaito, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

After glaring at him, Ran suddenly asked, "Oh, Lupin-kun, I've been wondering something. Do _you _have someone you like?"

"Huh?" Kaito blinked. "By which you mean…?"

"There's not really another meaning for the question," giggled Ran, leaning forward conspiratorially. "I bet there's someone you're in love with, isn't there? I can tell."

"What?"

She sighed as if dealing with a senseless child. "You've been so radiant lately – like you're so much happier. It's such a huge change since before, you know? Before you seemed like you were half-dead."

"I did not," Kaito said childishly, sticking out his tongue.

"I have to admit, I don't think I noticed at the time, but there's been such a change that I realized you must've been pretending before. And clearly, you've changed because you've fallen in love, right?"

Kaito regarded her silently for a second. _Fallen in love…? Have I fallen in love with… with Conan? _The thought seemed absurd. Had he fallen in love with the strange man? The man with the perfect azure eyes and excellent cooking skills who had forced his way into Kaito's life?

Had he…?

Ran suddenly let out a laugh, and Kaito refocused his attention on her. "Something up?"

"You were daydreaming for a second there, Lupin-kun," Ran told him, rising. "I'm going to leave you there for a little – it looks like Bond-kun's open now."

"Ah… go ahead." Kaito watched her hurry towards the bespectacled host, smiling fondly. Checking his watch, he noticed it was already five minutes past seven.

"Where _is _he?" muttered Kaito to himself, reaching into his pocket to trace the edge of the key. Seeing that he didn't have any clients waiting, he strolled to the front doors and opened one, glancing around.

Kaito's eyes caught on a figure standing to his right, and it took him a second to recognize it as Conan. He started towards him, stopping when he realized that his houseguest was on the phone.

_Oh. I should probably leave him, then, _Kaito decided, but just as he turned to go back into the club, he heard Conan explode, "No!" in such a violent manner than Kaito whipped back around.

Continuing in at a quieter volume, Conan growled at whoever he was talking to. "Seriously? I _told _you, I'm not 'enamored of him,' for the last time!" A pause. "I don't have any reasons other than that Ran likes him."

Kaito's heart crawled up his throat. _Ran? As in, my client Ran? How does _Conan _know her?_

"What do you mean, 'I'm not usually that nice'? Get real. The only reason I'm staying there… no! Cut it out. Stop saying I'm in enamored of Kaito, for God's sake."

Kaito's eyes widened. _They're talking about me? Wait, he knows who I am?_

"Look. I only started interrogating him because Ran expressed interest in him. Don't get the wrong idea," Conan insisted, sounding rather peeved. It was too dark to see his face, but Kaito could imagine the irate expression on his face.

_Because of Ran? Then that means he's the guy that Ran was in love with…_

"Get real. I don't think we'd work out, anyway. I actually found out…" Conan hesitated. "Never mind. The point is I'm not going to… _stop. No. _What, so now I'm not allowed to try to help a guy? I have to be… no. I'm…" A small hesitation that was quickly swept away. "…pretty sure I'm not in love with Kaito."

_Oh. _

_He's only being nice to be – being _friends _with me – because of Ran?_

…_I see how it is. I don't know what I was expecting from him. To think I almost believed that I actually had fallen for him… that's impossible. _

Kaito coughed, grabbing Conan's attention. The man jumped, slapped his phone closed in his surprise.

"Lupin," he breathed. Even in the dim darkness, Kaito could see his body language tightening up. "How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it," Kaito replied, giving a forced smile. "If you'd like, I can take you now."

He turned and walked back into the club, feeling the key in his pocket pressing against his hip and the weight of something like betrayal in his heart.

_Ridiculous. _Kaito's hand tightened around the handle of the front door, and he flashed an immobile Conan another smile. "Coming?"

_I was never his to betray._

* * *

**So clearly, when I'm depressed, it shows in my writing. Anyway, I think I can probably get one or two more chapters out of the rest of this plot, so keep in mind that the end is near and you won't feel the need to suffer through this much longer.**

***summons up some cheer* Anyway, hope you enjoyed this (somewhat angsty) chapter & I'd love you more than Kaito (currently) loves Shinichi if you dropped me a review~!**

**- Luna**


	7. Aphrodite

**Pairings: **Shinichi x Kaito,slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi, implied Eisuke x Ran

**Warnings: **host!Kaito and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)

**Notes: **So… let's see. This chapter's pretty fast-paced, written half in Shinichi's point of view and half in Kaito's, and distinctly OOC, _but _I will justify it in that I have about fifty-seven other fics I really really really want to start writing but feel obligated to wait until this is finished.

So basically, I'm a quantity over quality type of person, which is a terrible character flaw. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Club Aphrodite**

Aphrodite

_- goddess of beauty, pleasure, and love -_

Shinichi waited at the back door of Club Aphrodite, huffing into his hands in a lame attempt to warm them. Kaito had yet to appear, and it was closer to two o'clock than one o'clock. Shinichi bristled inside his coat, his expression sour.

After his short, undeniably cold session with Kaito, during which Shinichi could feel Kaito's disdain for his presence, Shinichi had retreated from the club and decided to wait for the man outside. Hopefully, once Kaito had cooled off a little, Shinichi could explain what exactly he had meant with his vehement denials.

He sighed. It was obvious to him – now that Kaito was cold-shouldering him – that his mother was right. Unfortunately, horrifyingly, perfectly right.

Shinichi _was _enamored of Kaito.

After all, Shinichi had never been one to get ruffled over misunderstandings and dramatic fights. Even when he'd been in high school and gone through relationships that had ended in emotional breakups and tears, he'd always been above it, not caring, getting over it. He'd always been that kind of person.

Yet suddenly, at this small, almost insignificant fight with Kaito, Shinichi was desperate. He wanted to try to convince the host that he hadn't meant it, beg him not to leave, ask him to forget what he'd clearly heard and been hurt by…

Shinichi sighed, dropping his head into his hand. "This is ridiculous," he announced aloud. Shuffling his feet around for a second, he looked up in surprise as the back door swung open. He was almost unreasonably happy for the second he thought it was Kaito; the feeling died once he caught sight of blond hair. It was the host his mother referred to as "Saguru-kun."

"Hello," the blond called out tentatively. "Are you Conan?"

Starting slightly, Shinichi nodded. "Oh… yes, that's me."

"So you're Yuki-san's son?"

Shinichi blinked at him. "She told you?"

"It was a bit obvious to me," the host smiled. "My host name is Arthur, by the way, but my real name is Hakuba Saguru." At Shinichi's inquiring eyebrow lift, Hakuba explained, "I don't think aliases are necessary when you could easily find out my real name by talking to your mother." Shinichi nodded comprehendingly, and Hakuba added, "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you. I'm Kudou Shinichi, Yukiko's son," Shinichi answered. Hesitating, he questioned, "Uh… is Lupin still in?"

"Kuroba-kun? He left early today, through the front door. Didn't you know?" Hakuba tilted his head curiously, and Shinichi fought the urge to facepalm. Of _course _Kaito had figured out Shinichi would be waiting for him at the back.

"Something wrong, Kudou-kun?" Hakuba wondered, seeming vaguely confused by Shinichi's expression.

"Sorry, it's nothing. It was nice meeting you, Hakuba-san, but I've got to go," Shinichi informed him, pasting on an apologetic smile and turning to leave for Kaito's apartment.

As he started off, Hakuba called, "Hey, Kudou-kun?"

Impatiently whipping back around, Shinichi spat out an irritated, "Yes?"

"You're the one who's been taking care of Kuroba-kun recently, aren't you?"

Surprised at the other's deduction, Shinichi nodded, relaxing. "How did you know?"

Hakuba shrugged. "It just seemed like it. You're quite clearly worried right now, aren't you? And I can't think of another reason but that you care a lot about that idiot."

At a slight loss, Shinichi nodded. "I… yes." He glanced down, slightly embarrassed. "We… I do care about him. A lot."

"Good luck, then," Hakuba told him, motioning for Shinichi to leave as he himself turned to leave for home. "Take care of him, Kudou-kun. You never know what that idiot might do."

"I will," promised Shinichi before breaking into a run, heading straight for Kaito's apartment.

* * *

Kaito was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard the heavy footsteps thumping down the hall and the predictable knocking on his front door. He buried his eyes underneath his crossed forearms, clenching teeth. Every bit of him wanted to open the door and let in the detective, but at the same time, he had too much pride to do it.

The thumping halted, and off to his right, Kaito heard his ringtone begin emanating from his cell phone. He rolled over, choosing to ignore it.

His phone trailed off before vibrating weakly, telling Kaito that he had just received a text. Against his better judgment, Kaito uncertainly reached over and picked up his phone, eyes flashing across the text and widening at its content.

_I know you're Kid._

Kaito jerked upright, staring at his Kid closet. He wobbled over to it, disbelievingly opening it to find that his suit had been examined and put back with delicate care.

Something like horror, shock, and despair mixed in his stomach.

_What the hell?! He actually knew?! But he didn't even… _The memory of what Conan had been saying into the phone flooded his mind – _"I actually found out… Never mind."_

If he'd known, why had he kept silent? He was a special consultant of the police force, for God's sake, and he had more than enough evidence that Kaito was Kid –

In his slack hand, his phone vibrated, demanding attention, and Kaito stared down at the screen, eyes large and confused. Another text from Conan.

_I won't tell anyone. _

_Don't worry._

Kaito heard the footsteps fade off down the hall, clattering into the distance. Hurrying to the door, Kaito wretched it open and peered out frantically to catch a fleeting glance of Conan disappearing around the corner.

He withdrew back into his room, dropping down against the door. He clutched at his head, angry at himself.

Kaito was trying to _hate_ Conan, damn it, not fall in love with him!

* * *

Shinichi sat, huddled in the cold, around the corner from Kaito's apartment. Hearing the host's door close, he dropped his head onto his knees. Clearly he wasn't ready to face Shinichi yet…

Feeling the vibration of his cell phone against his hip, Shinichi grunted, digging out his ringing phone. The caller ID informed him that it was his mother, and his lip twitched in annoyance.

"Yes?" he growled into the phone.

"Shin-chan? What time is it over there?"

"Two in the morning. Why are you calling?"

"Mother's instinct. What's wrong, Shin-chan?"

Shinichi breathed out hard. "Kaito overheard our conversation from earlier, where I said that I wasn't enamored of him and that stuff about Ran."

Yukiko inhaled deeply. "I'm guessing Kai-chan didn't take it well?"

"You could say that again. He left the club early to evade me, and he wouldn't open the door for me just now," explained Shinichi, depressed. "I don't know what to do, Mom…"

The former actress was silent for a moment before her voice filled Shinichi's ear, disturbingly excited. "Shin-chan, I have an idea."

"…What?" _This can only mean trouble…_

"I'm flying in right away. I'll meet you at the house. Oh, I've always wanted to do this!" squealed his mother before the line went dead and Shinichi was left feeling extremely worried.

* * *

Kaito arrived at Club Aphrodite half an hour earlier than necessary. He hadn't been able to sleep all too well, and he had been so bored at home that he figured maybe Club Aphrodite would have more to offer.

He was realizing the fault in that logic as he pushed open the back door and entered the locker room, heading towards his locker.

"Kai-chan."

Kaito nearly had a heart attack, jolting and turning to see Kudou Yukiko standing in the doorway, wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression.

"Yuki-neechan…" Kaito trailed off, concerned by her presence. It had been less than a month since her last checkup on the club. "Why are you here?"

"I'm glad you came early," Yukiko remarked, crossing her arms across her chest tightly. "As soon as I heard what happened, I flew right in."

"What… happened?"

Giving him an _are you serious _glance, Yukiko rolled her eyes. "You know. Between you and Sh… Conan-chan."

"Huh? How do you know about Conan?" stammered Kaito.

Ignoring his question, Yukiko plowed on. "He told me about what happened, and I couldn't believe it. Kai-chan, you're being silly."

"What? How can you _say _that? He's the one who was only being nice to me because he was worried about Ran," refuted Kaito without thinking, glaring at his feet.

"See? Clearly you're mad about that, aren't you? Because you wanted to be special to him," cackled Yukiko triumphantly.

"I did not –!" Kaito half shouted, head snapping up – only to see Yukiko' already smug face growing smugger.

"Did you ever think that he was only denying it because he was embarrassed? Shi – Conan-chan's like that, you know."

Kaito groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I don't know what to think anymore, Yuki-neechan. And anyway, how _do _you know Conan?"

"But do you admit you're enamored of him?" asked Yukiko, once again ignoring his question.

"No, I am _not _enamored of him!" retorted Kaito.

"We'll see about that," sang Yukiko. "We've got a surprise for you tonight!" With that, she turned and skipped out of the locker room, humming rather violently.

Staring after her, Kaito blinked and looked at his locker when a thought suddenly struck him. His eyes snapped back after the owner.

"Wait a second…'_enamored of_'?"

* * *

"Mom, this is a bad idea."

"Don't be ridiculous, Shin-chan!"

"Ow! Don't touch me there!"

"Agh! Shin-chan, when was the last time you brushed your hair?"

"I was in a hurry, okay? I didn't sleep last night, like, at all!"

"Because you were worried about Kai-chan!"

"No! Well, _yes_, but no!"

"There! You look _so _perfect, Shin-chan!"

"You know, I'm starting to think this is just because you always wanted me to do this and not because it'll actually work."

"Don't be ridiculous, Shin-chan! Of course this will work! Don't you want to make Kai-chan jealous?"

"I just want to _talk _to him, dammit –!"

"It's time to introduce you to all of them! Let's go!"

"I've already met… okay. Let's do this."

* * *

Kaito was sitting in the locker room, making small talk with Makoto, Eisuke, Hattori, and Hakuba when Yukiko reappeared in the doorway. "Hey boys!" she trilled in a tone that instantly put Kaito on guard.

"Hi, Yuki-san," Hakuba greeted. "What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to introduce our new host~!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"You don't mean…?" the blond stammered, and Yukiko nodded, tugging someone out from behind her.

Kaito's eyes widened.

_No way. She wouldn't._

Standing beside her was _Conan_, dressed in a bright blue dress shirt that highlighted his eyes and a black suit, his hair standing in expertly styled waves, looking uncomfortable. The suit clung a little too closely to his leanly muscled figure, and his eyes were just a little _too _azure as he observed the five hosts' reactions.

In other words, he was drop-dead gorgeous, and it was making Kaito's heartbeat dance around manically.

"This is my son, Kudou Shinichi~!" announced Yukiko, watching Kaito with a wicked expression.

_Son? Yuki-neechan is Conan's _mother_?_

Makoto only blinked and nodded, as did Hakuba. The other two had somewhat different reactions, however.

"You're Yuki-neechan's _son, _Conan?" half shouted Hattori, jaw dropped.

"Conan? Isn't he Kaito-san's client…?" wondered Eisuke, looking bemused.

Kaito kept silent, avoiding Conan's – _Shinichi's _– gaze. _So this is what Yuki-neechan meant…_

"I see you already know his host name. He's going to be Conan!" Yukiko smiled widely. "Everyone, it's his first time hosting, so take care of him! If my precious son gets hurt, I'll have to blame all of you!"

(The hosts all went through various degrees of paling.)

"The doors are going to open in a few moments, so let's all go into the club!" Yukiko grabbed her son's arm and dragged him down the hall, ignoring his sounds of protests. Wordlessly, the rest of the hosts followed her, taking their usual positions.

Yukiko glanced around before carefully seating Shinichi in the spot beside Kaito, winking at him. Kaito lowered his eyes.

He was going to kill Yukiko after this was all over.

The clients began arriving soon after. Kaito was servicing one of his regulars when he happened to see Ran entering the club. Upon seeing Shinichi, her eyebrows flew up and she shoved her way over to Shinichi.

_Oh. _

Kaito was suddenly finding it very difficult to pay attention to his client.

"What are you _doing_, Shinichi?!" she whispered once she had arrived at his table.

Shinichi smirked. "Yo, Ran. And I'm working – it's Conan."

"Your mom roped you into this, didn't she?" Ran growled, ignoring him. "You've been avoiding this place since its conception, after all."

"What, jealous?" smirked Shinichi, and Kaito's heart lurched in his chest.

"As if," scoffed Ran. She looked over her shoulder to see Eisuke watching her curiously. "Hey, I've got to go. Eisuke – er – Bond's waiting for me."

"He is, isn't he? See you, Ran," Shinichi told her, patting her on the shoulder. She grinned.

"Your hair looks weird, Shinichi," she said before bouncing off to her bespectacled host. Shinichi watched her leave with a vague smirk.

"Lupin?" Starting, Kaito refocused his attention on the girl across from him, who was observing him with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I am _so _sorry," he apologized, making a deep crimson rose appear out of nowhere and handing it to the girl. "I was a little sidetracked."

"I could see that," the girl sniffed, but accepted the rose with a smile.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Kaito caught sight of Shinichi observing the exchange blankly before a timid girl approached his table. "C-Can I sit with you, Conan?" she asked in a whispery voice.

Shinichi nodded, smiling a heartbreakingly charming smile. "Of course," he agreed. "What's your name?"

"A-Ai," the girl stuttered, clearly lost in the man's eyes.

"Have a seat, Ai-san," Shinichi told her, motioning for her to sit down. "You look wonderful tonight."

"Really? You think?"

"_Lupin_! Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course I am," Kaito reassured, forcing himself to look at his upset client. "How could I take my eyes off of your beauty for even a second?"

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Kaito was the last in the locker room, pulling his shirt on tiredly. It was hell to be seated next to Shinichi, watching him flirt with and enchant girl after girl, knowing that he himself wanted to be that girl, wanted that smile to be for _him_…

_What the hell am I thinking? _Kaito yanked on his shirt, closing his locker when the locker room door swung open and an exhausted Shinichi walked in.

Putting his arms through his sleeves, Kaito gave the man a curt nod, turning away quickly afterwards. "Good work today," he told him stiffly, feeling his heartbeat in his throat.

"Is that really all you can say?" Shinichi said, and Kaito nearly jumped out of his skin upon realizing that the police consultant was directly behind him.

"Yes," Kaito replied, reaching into his locker for his jacket with shaking hands.

Sounding pensive, Shinichi commented, "You know, I really don't like watching the man I'm in love with entertaining girls right beside me."

"Huh?" Kaito whipped around to stare at Shinichi, only to find him standing less than a foot away from him.

"What do you mean by that?" whispered Kaito, backing up against his locker. _Does he mean…?_

"You know exactly what I mean by that," breathed Shinichi, and before Kaito could even think, lips were pressed against his, soft and gentle and just so perfect that Kaito was ready to pass out.

Shinichi pulled back, and Kaito could only blink at him. "So… you really…"

"Yes. I mean it," Shinichi answered, nodding but looking slightly uneasy. He swallowed, and Kaito had to smile at the traces of uncertainty in his eyes. "You?"

"Of course I do," Kaito responded.

There was a small silence, filled only by the two of them breathing. "I'm sorry for before," Shinichi finally said, breaking the silence.

"Don't worry about that. I definitely overreacted."

"Ran's in love with that Eisuke kid, anyway."

Another silence. Then, "Do you remember when we talked about falling in love that one time?"

Recalling the time where Shinichi had asked Kaito if Kaito had ever fallen in love, Kaito nodded. "Yes, what about it?"

"Do you remember what I said?"

"Um…" Racking his brain, Kaito recited, "You said that when you fall in love, you don't let go and you don't expect the other person to let go either."

Shinichi nodded. "Are you okay with that?"

Staring at Shinichi for a long moment, Kaito answered, "Of course I am."

* * *

**Wow, shitty ending. So~rry. But hey, now I can work on continuing _A Sonata and a Smile_ as well as _Semantics_ and maybe start a new fic! YAY!**

**Please don't review to tell me how much the ending sucks (was too rushed, was random, was awful, was out of character, etc.). I KNOW *sobs in corner*.**

**- Luna**


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